Calgart Stampede. Devon Cole

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Very few can ace an assignment like Devon Cole. While righting the lyrical wrongs of “Blurred Lines,” Cole’s remix went viral. To comfort a Love is Blind reality star post-onscreen heartbreak, Cole offered an “in awe” Deepti Vempati an empowerment anthem. Even during her three-hour, Tuesday night set at a local Toronto watering hole, newfound fans clamored for original music. Soon, she’d deliver — the singer-songwriter’s 2021 alt-pop project, Party For One, accruing tastemaker approval and millions of streams in mere months.

“If anybody, even one person, finds solace in my music, if it lifts them up even a little bit, then I will have done my job,” the 24-year-old says. “That’s all I can ask for.”

The secret to Cole’s CBC-acclaimed “earworm pop with a feminist edge,” lies in her clinical approach to songwriting. The psychology graduate's Arista Records debut, “W.I.T.C.H” (“Woman in Total Control of Herself”) was the product of weeks of research: deep dives into the history of witchcraft, along with unending reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. After Cole shared snippets of the funk-flavored, Trojan horse-esque track, “W.I.T.C.H” secured 300,000 pre-saves — quadrupling her following in the process. For a Calgary-native whose musical education mostly consisted of show choirs and rodeo appearances, Cole’s superior sonic instincts or sheer lyrical prowess is unprecedented. Catchily packaging social truths in repeat worthy pop bops, Devon Cole is a woman in total control — and always understands the assignment.
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